#asu chinese flagship

[asuflagship]

Things You Need to Taste in Taiwan--Part 2!!

5. Black Sugar Boba: This non-tea boba beverage of milk, rosewater, and torched sugar is a hug for the mouth and tastes like a more sophisticated version of chocolate milk. Remember to give the cup a good swish to mix the blackened-sugar at the bottom before slurping away!

6. Fried Night Market Meats: Chicken fillet. Sausage. Squid. Cuttlefish. Crabs. Whatever protein it is you love most, Taiwan’s night markets have it fried and on a skewer! Each meat snack generally tastes fantastic and has its own merits, so a generally reliable way to determine which stands are best in a particular night market is to follow the crowd and pick ones with the longest line of locals. 

7. Stinky Tofu: Now, full disclosure: I have never been crazy about tofu, and unsurprisingly turned out not to be a fan of the smelly kind either. BUT! The whole point of travel is to try new things and be open to the possibilities! Everyone ought to take a few culinary risks and try the pungent snack that gives Taiwan’s night markets their iconic odor. No one is charmed by the smell, but there is a reason every night market has at least one stinky tofu stand--quite a few people love the taste! You never know, you just might too!

8. Beef Noodles: Considered to be the national food of Taiwan, beef noodles holds the same comfort-food status as chicken noodle soup in America. I first got the chance to indulge in a bowl after an ICLP orientation field trip to the Office of the President (Taiwan’s equivalent of the Oval Office) as a way of completing the patriotic theme of that afternoon. The tender meat and thick noodles speak for themselves; its honor as representative of the nation’s cuisine is unquestionably earned.

That’s it for today’s post! Stay tuned for parts 3-5!

[Links to unowned images in order they appeared:

https://www.gosquabgo.com/travelstories/taiwan-night-market

https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3445868

https://www.unileverfoodsolutions.us/recipe/taiwanese-beef-noodle-soup-R0065191.html ]

[asuflagship]

Fooooooooood! Things You Need to Taste in Taiwan (Part 1)

Hi, it’s Kylie again, here to share the latest and greatest information on the ASU Flagship’s study abroad opportunity in Taiwan!

If you are anything like me, sometimes the greatest motivator for cracking down on homework is the promise of a tasty meal. With the Taipei International Chinese Language Program (ICLP)’s vigorous course load, there is a constant demand for quality cuisine--and Taiwan does not disappoint! And so my gift to you today, from one foodie to another, is the following blog series of my top recommended Taiwan dishes.

1. Meesua

I’m starting this list off with my all time favorite! I have consistently craved Meesua from my first bowl in Taipei to months after returning to America. Known in mandarin as “Mian Xian”, Meesua is a traditional recipe of Taiwan’s Hakka minority. The soup base is slightly thick and tangy, enveloping a bed of vermicelli-esque noodles, either oysters or pork, and fresh cilantro. A cup is often as cheap as 25 TWD (less than 1 USD) and served piping hot. You must try this ethnic treasure at least once when abroad!

2. A-gei

This next dish is unique to the fishing town of Danshui and is perfect for those who love pairing tofu and noodles! A bowl of A-gei consists of thin and transparent “dong fen”, or rice noodles, encased in fried tofu, sealed with surimi, and topped with a sweet sauce. If you still feel daring after tackling this flavorful creation, you can also try a bag of “iron eggs” (specially pickled and dried eggs with a tough consistency and black color) from the coastal market to munch on by the seashore.  

3. Seven Eleven Snacks

All Flagship students in the ICLP program live in the same apartment complex just outside the National Taiwan University Campus, and conveniently wedged next to the complex entrance is the country’s staple convenience store: Seven Eleven. Whenever you need a quick snack to munch on during study time, Seven Eleven is your new best friend. Now, this is NOT your American gas station “Seven Eleven”. Here in Taipei, Seven Elevens are like mini grocery stores with products for all your basic needs, from an entire aisle of ramen selections to batteries and umbrellas. They are literally on almost every street corner (usually near their competitor convenience franchise, FamilyMart) and always have some kind of special sale going on. My favorite snacks included their “Fan Tuan” (sticky rice triangles wrapped in seaweed and stuffed with meat) and ice cream waffles (slabs of soft waffle with an ice cream filling, you can find them in the popsicle freezer). If you go as often as I did, you can even make a game of collecting the stamps for that month’s promotion. There is little not to love about Taiwan’s convenience snack haven!

4. Bing Tang Hu Lu

Although these candy-coated fruit skewers technically originate from Northern China, their popularity has infiltrated Taipei’s major night markets and are easy to spot. You can choose between strawberries or plum-stuffed cherry tomatoes neatly stacked and layered with hard syrup in ruby columns. I found the fusion of fresh fruit with a crispy sugar shell irresistible.

Stay tuned for Parts 2-5! 

--Kylie Kennelly, Flagship Student Ambassador

[*Links to unowned images in the order they appeared:

http://www.vkeong.com/eat/ah-chung-mee-suah-taiwan-street-food/

https://danshuihistory.blogspot.com/2015/01/traditional-snack-food-in-tamsui-part-9.html

http://www.taiwaneseamerican.org/2016/04/taiwanese-7-eleven-open-in-us/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/roboppy/6248640085

https://www.flickr.com/photos/56751239@N05/8206154430 ]

[asuflagship]

Travel Gem #3: Shrink your World at Taiwan’s Miniature Museum

I visited this next travel gem with my ICLP language exchange partner, a wonderful lady I called Jian Lao Shi. You see, in order to maximize each student’s access to personalized learning and language practice, ICLP assigns each student with a Taiwan native to have conversations and explore with.  So after my music-loving language partner introduced me to the gorgeous concert and theatre halls across from the Chiang-Kai Shek memorial, I decided to return the favor by sharing an interest of my own and taking her to an art museum.

Though virtually unknown to tourists and petite in craftsmanship, the Miniatures Museum of Taiwan (袖珍博物館) is actually the largest exhibition of miniature artwork in all of Southeast Asia. Prepare for your mind to be blown at how lifelike and intricate these living room replicas and street models can get, such that one could assume from a photo that the creation exists in real life proportions! The themes of projects range from the strictly historical to the wildest of fantasy; one miniature treehouse featured humans hang gliding off of pterodactyls and riding brachiosauruses like camels! And if the beautiful collection inspires you to “think small”, there’s also a gift shop full of miniature decorations and dollhouse furniture. It may be the quirkier of traveling activities, but hey, sometimes it’s the little things that make a journey memorable. ;)

[asuflagship]

My name is Tammy, and I recently spent the 2016 Summer studying abroad at the Association of Colleges in China (ACC) Program in Beijing, China. This photo-set highlights my arrival in China for the first time.

Step one: Getting off the plane. The Beijing airport was huge, but thankfully to me, most (if not all) of the signs were translated into English,  which made it relatively easy to find my way around.

Although I could’ve taken a taxi (approx. (150-200 yuan) to Minzu University of China (民族大学）, I opted for the more affordable option of taking the airport subway line(about 25 yuan) followed by the Beijing Subway (less than 10 yuan). 

While riding the airport subway line, and headed towards the center of the city, the reality of being in a foreign country started to set in. All the signs and instructions were written in Chinese, and I was the only foreigner on the entire train, which definitely got me my fair share of stares. 

After navigating the foreign subway system, I climbed stairs with my large suitcase and carry on, and pulled out my printed map of the city, as I did not have any cell service for a GPS. However, through asking a few locals on the street, I was able to finally arrive.

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[xinruistingray-blog]

Needless to say, when I heard that the Shanghai Jewish Refugee exhibit was coming to Phoenix, I was ecstatic. Despite my hours of work, my translation had received little recognition. I had very few opportunities to speak with anyone who was familiar with the topic. As a translator, I strive for accuracy in the facts, names, and events I translate. The exhibit's opening night offered a chance to converse with an expert on the topic - Professor Li Weijia, a polite man with a great sense of humor. He was engaging throughout his lecture on the cultural, educational, and vocational engagements of the Jewish communities during their time in China. A master of not only Chinese and English, but also German and Yiddish, he provided an insightful look into the lives of the refugees. He made it evident that even outside of the stories posted in the exhibition just outside the lecture hall, the Jewish refugees did everything they could to thrive despite gruesome conditions in exile. They preserved their way of life and adapted to their lives in such a foreign country.

He took questions after. It surprised me how little the Jewish people present knew about the topic. As a Gentile, I had assumed that it was merely my disconnection from the Jewish community that had led to my cluelessness on the topic. It's almost as if the struggle of the Jews in Shanghai had been swept under the rug, lost in the midst of tragedies of the concentration camps and the gas chambers. Naturally, I’m not downplaying the profound tragedy of the Holocaust, but these Jews suffered too. It is my hope that the exhibition will shed some light on the story of the Shanghai Jewish refugees, particularly on their truly astonishing ability to not only survive, but thrive despite such adversity.

[xinruistingray-blog]

The Arizona Jewish Heritage Center is hosting an exhibition on Shanghai Jewish refugees. A year ago, I had no idea that the Japanese occupation of Shanghai during WWII had resulted in the creation of a Jewish ghetto, or even that some 20,000 European Jews had chosen to flee the Nazi genocide all the way to Shanghai. While studying abroad on my Capstone year in Nanjing, China, I found a secondhand bookstore in my neighborhood. The overwhelming majority of books were in Chinese (and one German edition of 50 Shades of Grey), except for a slim English book that happened to catch my eye.The book was a collection of short snippets of a foreign woman’s life in Shanghai. A Jewish woman born in Shanghai, Rena Krasno finally returned to Shanghai after leaving in 1949 and wrote a short book, detailing her life in Shanghai during the Japanese occupation. I had never heard of this historical event so, of course, I couldn’t stop talking about it. Little did I know, not a week later, my boss at Yilin Press (where I interned my second semester during my Capstone year) would approach me about translating a book on Shanghai Jewish refugees.

As a history geek, I delved into the history of the Shanghai Jews. I went to rickshaw.org to read firsthand accounts on Jewish lives during the period, ordered the books listed in the citations of my translation project, and did my best to accurately translate the book itself, hoping its publication in the U.S in 2016 would inform many people of this rarely recognized part of Holocaust history. This book became the most interesting part of my work--I poured my heart and soul into it.